Ten Questions
by No Name VC
Summary: Takes place during "Everybody Talks About the Weather" from season one of Ben 10: Alien Force. Kevin and Gwen play a little game to pass the time while they look for Ben. REVIEWS WELCOMED.


The silence was comforting, almost tranquil. Darkness masked the luminosity of the harvest moon, rendering it to a faint glow within the canvas of night. The stars smoldered with a celestial radiance that reflected off the cornfields of Grover's Mill. Hues of gold and sunshine stood tall within the acres of farmland, showing dominance in height and stature. The whole scene itself was picturesque in setting.

Suddenly, the stillness of the frigid air was pierced by the sound of a ferocious growl raking through the surrounding area. In a single motion, cornstalks were flattened and trampled by a force of speed. A roaring beast had cleared the vegetation in its path, scattering them on the ground like wounded soldiers in the aftermath of battle.

The sound was amplified as the driver of a green Camero stepped on the gas pedal. The engine snarled in retaliation, stretching the limits of velocity set by the person situated in the driver's seat. Experienced hands turned the steering wheel left to right in attempts to navigate through the yellow labyrinth.

"You can't just make assumptions like that," scolded the petite redhead on the passenger side. "You don't even know me, Kevin."

The robust teenager directed his attention toward his driving companion and gave a little shrug. "You're right, Gwen. I don't. Mind filling me in?" A spark of interest was evident in his voice as he spoke the last sentence.

Gwen rested her head against the car's leather seat as she let out an exasperated sigh. _That boy knows no limits_, she thought to herself. Even in the short amount of time he had joined up with the Tennysons, Kevin Levin had shown his true colors. His spectrum ranged from the most aggressive reds to the subdued blues that would appear in rare occurrences.

The reformed villain always had to put his two-cents-worth into every conversation he took pleasure in interrupting. Kevin's arrogant comments and quick remarks often earned him an irritated glare from Gwen. Sure, she knew he liked her. It was obvious in the way Levin looked at her, or how he held his breath every time she walked in his general direction. The green-eyed girl thought it rather odd that Kevin was so open in expressing his interest in her, but still acted so coy.

Now here they were, bickering over the source of Gwen's powers. Kevin actually had the audacity to deem an alien bloodline as the cause. She did not know why, but this aggravated Gwen to no end. She disliked the prospect of the ex-con thinking that he could read her so easily; like he had her all figured out. Kevin had no idea who she was.

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Gwen countered with a sarcastic tone that she seldom used. Only _he_ could make her act like this.

"C'mon, it could be fun," Kevin swayed. "We could make a game of it." The young man's eyebrows arched in a suggestive fashion, making Gwen scoff in disgust.

"Just kidding. No reason to be so serious, it's okay to lighten up once and a while," he said before shifting his gaze back to the path ahead.

"_Someone_ has to be mature around here." Gwen eyed the boy at the steering wheel with apathy.

Kevin responded with mock hurt on his face. "Touchy." In a split second, his expression reverted back to its chipper state. "Help me out here. How 'bout Twenty Questions?"

"We don't have time for that. We have to meet up with Ben and Alan, remember?" After a short pause, Gwen decided that she would humor him. She felt some remorse for constantly shutting him out. "Okay. But how about Ten Questions instead? In case you haven't noticed, ten is sort of our number around here."

The teenager with the midnight gaze chuckled under his breath. "Alright, I'll take what I can get. Now let's see, hmm..." Kevin cleared his throat, enjoying the situation more than he should. With his most convincing cool facade, he faced Gwen. "So, what's your sign?"

"You can't be serious," she replied, rolling her eyes.

"Sorry, sorry. Question number one, for real: Do you have a boyfriend?"

Gwen fidgeted in her seat, immediately regretting what she got herself into. This was going to be a long car ride. "No," she answered hesitantly.

Kevin's features were graced with what looked like relief. A certain sereneness washed over his demeanor as he looked to the Tennyson girl. "Huh, funny. Kind of figured that guys would be lining up outside your door."

"Why would you say-never mind, next question," pressed Gwen. His over-confidence was definitely one of Kevin's strongest attributes. Gwen was still not sure she liked it all that much. She could admit, however, that the allure was overwhelming.

"Eager now, are we?" The playfulness in his smile intensified, but that was a normal occurrence whenever Gwen was around. Kevin had come to recognize the feeling she gave him better than his own name. The dark teenager drummed his fingers along the steering wheel. "Are you a cheerleader?"

Gwen knitted her eyebrows together in confusion. "Why in the world would you ask that?"

"Well, when we're fighting aliens, I see you do all these cool flips and stunts. So, I was just thinkin'." Kevin shrugged his shoulders innocently. It would make sense to him if Gwen was a cheerleader. She undoubtedly had the looks for it.

"I'm _not _a cheerleader. I took gymnastics for four years," the pixie-faced teen responded matter-of-factly, almost offended.

Kevin noticed Gwen was getting more cross as time progressed. He was enjoying it, and decided to add more fuel to the fire. "Mmm, I see. You're too smart to be a cheerleader, anyway."

"That's just a stereotype. I'm sure not all cheerleaders are air-heads."

"Speaking of stereotypes, I hear that redheads are really short-tempered. Question number three: Is that your natural hair color?" Kevin extended his arm and reached over to touch a strand of Gwen's hair, but refrained. He decided that the act was too bold, even for his standards. Even if he wanted to do it.

With a curtain of scarlet locks obscuring her view from Kevin, Gwen took no notice of his discreet attempt at flattery. She fiddled with a tendril, absentmindedly twirling it around her finger. "Yes. My hair's naturally red, but I'm not short-tempered," Gwen insisted.

"Sure you aren't," jeered Kevin, speaking his second language of sarcasm.

"I'm not!" she asserted. Slowly, a blush crept onto Gwen's face. "Okay, maybe a little." She smiled timidly, slightly embarrassed of her reaction.

The dark-haired driver pursed his lips as he stared at the ravishing beauty before him. Her elegance was anything but subtle. Gwen's skin was of vanilla and roses as she watched Kevin from the corner of her eye, the flush on her cheeks deepening in shade. Kevin bit his tongue as his eyes darted back to the windshield. _I'm so selfish_, he thought to himself, his face gradually becoming more sullen.

Kevin's resentment always seemed to surface whenever he saw Gwen smile. The girl doubled as a mirror-pristine and immaculate in person, but heart wrenching at the same time. His flaws were reflected in her perfection, an untimely innocence that Kevin feared would be corrupted simply by his presence. The ex-con's teeth clenched together.

"Uh, next question?" Gwen noticed the rigidness of Kevin's form. The uneasy atmosphere in the car had escalated, mounting in apprehension until the feeling was suffocating.

"Oh, right." Kevin shook his head, the distant look that had lingered in his eyes vanishing. "Do you like long walks on the beach?"

"Really, Kevin? I was expecting something more original." Noticing the decayed brilliance in his eyes, Gwen decided to play along with his charade. "To answer your question, I actually do like long walks on the beach. Maybe you could take me there someday," she teased.

His satisfaction appeared in the form of a crooked grin. That was what did it. Gwen's eyes widened in astonishment, clover orbs affixed to the young man's dazzling expression. It was as if the space around the two teenagers had completely diminished and they were adrift in a world of their own creation.

This time, the silence was not unnerving.

"I'll take you anywhere you wanna go," Kevin breathed.

Overwhelmed with newfound desires, Gwen closed her eyes. A thick canopy of lashes masked the tints of jade that Kevin earned for, upsetting him quite a bit. After making sure he would not run into anything in his path, Kevin tapped Gwen on the shoulder. Her eyes fluttered open, only to see a smoldering gaze from Kevin.

"What's your favorite color?" he whispered, still staring at the girl intently, as though she would disappear any second.

"I-I'm not sure," Gwen stammered. His aura was intoxicating. It emanated from his body and swirled around the vicinity of his car, spinning in circles around Gwen's quivering frame. It was everywhere.

"Because I know mine," Kevin murmured. He was certain the redhead had alien blood in her veins. Never before had he seen such a striking hue of green. It was otherworldly.

"Kevin! Watch where you're going!"

As he turned to face the windshield, Kevin saw a haphazard scarecrow towering amongst the stalks of corn. The skilled driver turned the steering wheel with forceful aggression and braced himself as his Camero turned sharply, narrowly evading the scarecrow.

Wiping away the beads of perspiration that had accumulated along his brow, Kevin let out a sigh of relief. His head turned abruptly to the passenger seat. Tense muscles relaxed when he saw the lithe girl gripping her seatbelt, completly intact.

"You okay, bright eyes?" he asked Gwen.

"That's not one of your questions, is it? I'm fine."

"That one didn't count. Ever been in a car accident?" Kevin checked his rearview mirrors, trying to spot any other obstacles hidden in the cornfield.

"No, and I hope to keep it that way," replied Gwen, still a little shaken up from the dark teen's erratic driving.

"No need to worry. As long as I'm driving, you have nothin' to be afraid of." Kevin paused. "You do trust me, don't you?"

"Surprisingly, yes. You know that you only have three questions left, right?" Gwen gave Kevin the sweetest look she could muster, silently hoping she didn't look ridiculous.

"Guess I better hurry then, before Tennyson and that Plumber's kid set the whole place on fire." Flipping his hair out of his eyes, Kevin continued. "You into bad boys?"

"Define bad."

"Me."

"I don't know, try asking later." Gwen smiled. She was beginning to like messing with his head. If Kevin was going to play games, she was going to do the same thing.

"I'm kind of short on time here, Gwen. Um, next question: Should I get a haircut?" The reformed villain ran a rough hand through his ebony tresses for effect.

The young girl burst into laughter. "What kind of question is that?"

"Hey, you wouldn't believe how many old folks come up to me and ask when I plan on getting this mop taken care of. I just want to know that someone appreciates it. After all, it's part of the roguish charm." Kevin winked at Gwen, hoping she would remember the comment he had made earlier that night.

"Don't cut your hair. It suits you," Gwen assured as she twisted a strand of Kevin's hair in her hand.

_If only __**I'd**__ done that while I had the chance_, Kevin thought after the bright-eyed teen had let go of his hair.

Suddenly, farmland could be seen through the windows of the green Camero. After possibly twenty minutes of navigating aimlessly through the treacherous field of gold, the two teenagers finally drove onto an open dirt road.

"Finally! We're out of that crazy maze," exclaimed Kevin, pumping his fist in the air.

"Now we can find my cousin," reminded Gwen. It had seemed like hours had passed since she saw Ben, rather than minutes. So much had happened in that amount of time. Gwen's thoughts were still in a wild disarray.

"Hold up, Gwen. I still got one question left." Kevin pressed on the brake and the car slowly idled along the dusty trail. Taking his hands off the steering wheel, the boy leaned against his seat and just watched Gwen.

"Yes?" she inquired, wondering what Kevin's intentions were.

With the most serious look she had ever seen plastered on his face, he phrased his question in a low voice. "Do you regret finding me again and making me part of the team?"

Gwen tilted her head to the side, contemplating her response. Kevin had changed so much. To others, the sudden shift in personality would seeem like a complete lie, a chance for vengeance. But for some reason, Gwen disregarded those possibilities. Today, she had seen a side of Kevin that moved her in unimaginable ways. She trusted him.

He did change.

"No," Gwen answered in a tone shy of a whisper. "I don't regret it."

Kevin's stoic expression changed into one of complete gratitude. "Thank you," he said. "I was hoping you'd say that."

Gwen was swept away. She knew this would come as a problem in the future, but the business of aliens and Plumbers came with even more difficult challenges. As long as Kevin was there beside her, none of that mattered. Gwen would look forward to the heroic trials that awaited them.

She would also look forward to another game of Ten Questions.


End file.
